Maybe Baby
by Ciara2531
Summary: For Michelle.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't own 'em. Actors say every role is an answer to the last. Kinda true with writing too. D&E were so wounded in FSA that I wanted to go the opposite direction here and see them both feeling good in their skin. I don't have the rest of it written yet so I won't update every day like I did with I'm thinking five chapters about as long as this one (so a bit on the shorter side as compared with FSA) I have Thursday/Friday off this week for the holiday so I'm hoping to have everything finished by the weekend. Enjoy.

**For M. **

* * *

"Well?"

"Not yet," Elena replied.

"How much longer?" Damon asked.

"Thirty seconds," Elena said.

She was sitting on the edge of the tub, her legs tucked up underneath her. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead of her where the timer and the pregnancy test rested next to the sink faucet. Damon was on the other side of the closed door and she could hear him pacing.

He was nervous. Probably more nervous than she was, which was a little ironic given the circumstances. Then again, the circumstances were _not_ what she'd imagined they'd be when she'd first propositioned Damon and asked him to be her baby's father four months ago.

She'd been thinking along the lines of artificial insemination. Damon was her friend – best friend – and she trusted him. But she'd been very clear on the fact that she wasn't asking him to be a father. She was asking him to help her be a mother. She didn't want him to feel obligated to her or to the child. She was fully prepared – at age 29 and with a steady income – to be a single mother.

To say that Damon had been shocked at her proposal was an understatement. He'd gaped at her for a full five minutes, clearly convinced that she'd lost her mind. But once he'd realized that she was serious, that she'd thought it through, he'd promised to consider it.

Three weeks later - three long, uncomfortable, weeks for Elena – Damon had come to her with a counter proposal. He was willing to have a baby with her but only if they did things the old fashioned way and only if she promised that she wasn't going to cut him out of her life or their child's life.

Elena had been so focused on making sure Damon didn't feel any pressure to be involved that it had barely occurred to her that he might _want_ to be involved. And as for agreeing to sleep with him, the thought hadn't given her as much pause as it might have.

They'd slept together before, years ago when they'd first met. There was plenty of chemistry there but neither of them had been in the market for a serious relationship and they'd realized that they made excellent friends. And it was precisely because their friendship was so strong that Elena hadn't worried about sex – or a baby - ruining it.

The _ding _of the timer pulled Elena back into the present and she bit her lip.

"What does it say?" Damon demanded through the door.

He must have had his ear pressed to the door, Elena mused as she unfolded her legs and tentatively walked towards the sink. She glanced at the instructions again to reassure herself that she knew what she was looking for and then she picked up the little white stick.

"Elena?" Damon demanded.

Elena swung the door open and Damon's eyes flew to hers.

"I'm pregnant," Elena announced.

"Yeah?" Damon said.

"Yeah," Elena said with a smile.

Damon grinned back at her.

"Awesome," he said. "Want to order pizza?"

Elena punched his arm lightly and rolled her eyes.

"What?" Damon teased. "I haven't been able to eat all morning. I'm starved."

"So long as you don't order anchovies," Elena said.

"Would I do that knowing how much you hate them?" Damon asked.

"Yes," Elena said promptly. "So that you wouldn't have to share."

Damon rolled his eyes but when Elena started to walk by him, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into a hug.

"This is a good thing," he murmured. "I'm…happy."

"Me too," Elena said, squeezing him briefly around the waist. "I'm going to go make an appointment with my OB/GYN. If you're ordering from Monti's get me some of their garlic bread."

Damon gave her a mock salute and pulled out his cell phone. Elena retreated to her study. She made the appointment with her doctor and then took a few minutes to check her business email. Technically, she was on vacation because of the holiday, but when you were a top level executive in a thriving advertising agency, there was no such thing as a day off.

"So, are you going to tell people?" Damon asked, appearing in the doorway.

Elena sighed. She knew what Damon was really asking was whether or not she was going to tell her parents when they all got together for Thanksgiving dinner.

"I don't know," she said. "I'm tempted to opt for not but you know my mother. She just _knows_ things."

"I'm surprised she didn't call you out about us sleeping together," Damon said.

Elena squirmed and Damon narrowed his eyes. He knew that look and it made him suspicious. He and Elena didn't keep a lot of secrets from each other but they didn't always tell each other the whole truth either.

"When?" Damon asked.

Elena sighed again.

"Anna's birthday picnic," she said.

"That was like…a _week_ after we started," Damon said. "She's known the whole time? Does she know why? How come she didn't say anything?"

"Yes, no and because," Elena said.

"Because what?" Damon pressed.

Elena could be impossible when she didn't want to admit something.

She gave him a look and a small shrug. Damon knew as well as she did that her mother's greatest wish was for the two of them to give a relationship a serious try. In Miranda's utopia, they ended up having a huge fall wedding and giving her a gaggle of grandkids.

The grandkid was in the works but Elena had no intention of getting married. The beauty of her arrangement with Damon was that she would be having a child with someone she loved and trusted, her baby would have a great father but there was none of the stress of trying to make a marriage or a serious relationship work. So far as Elena could tell, this was as close as anyone ever got to having their cake and eating it too.

"And you let her think it?" Damon asked incredulously, correctly interpreting Elena's body language.

"What else was I supposed to do?" Elena protested. "I told her it was new and I didn't want to jinx things or spook you. It was the only way to get her to shut up about it."

Damon shook his head.

"For the record, _you_ are the one who'd get spooked," he said. "And now that you're pregnant, what's the plan, genius? Because Miranda's going to start looking at churches the second you tell her."

"We'll explain it to her," Elena said. "She'll come around."

"Riiiight," Damon said skeptically. "Breaking her heart is _totally_ the answer."

"You have a better one?" Elena retorted.

"We don't have to tell her the whole truth," Damon said.

"Lies of omission are still lies," Elena said, imitating her mother's voice.

"I'm just saying we take _your_ original lie and run with it," Damon said. "Let her think the pregnancy was a accident and that we're trying to work it out. We can "decide" in a couple of months that we're better off as friends."

"In other words fake a relationship?" Elena said. "That's your answer?"

"You have a better one?" Damon parroted.

"We tell the truth," Elena said. "What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

"I need to sit down," Miranda said, pressing a hand to her chest and walking unsteadily to the nearest chair.

Elena exchanged a wary glance with Damon.

"Jeremy, what were you _thinking?" _ Miranda asked, her voice full of shock.

"Mom, you're over reacting," Jeremy said.

"You eloped!" Miranda exclaimed. "I'm am _not_ overreacting. Tell him Gray!"

"You caught us all by surprise, son," Grayson said, clapping Jeremy on the back of the shoulder. "Your mother is going to need time to get used to the idea that you kids aren't always going to do things the way we want you to. Personally, I came to terms with it the day Elena learned the word 'no'. It's been all downhill from there."

"Gee thanks, Dad," Elena said rolling her eyes.

Grayson winked at her.

"You're no help at all," Miranda muttered to her husband.

"That's my cue," Grayson said. "Damon, you and Jeremy come on. I've got some good scotch waiting in the living room."

"Anna and her mother will be here a little later," Jeremy said. "Be nice."

"When have I been anything else?" Miranda huffed.

"I'm just saying…" Jeremy began.

"Son, the first lesson you need to learn as a married man," Grayson said, "is how to quit when you're ahead."

Miranda shook her head and walked to the stove, to see to the stuffing she was making. She made a few adjustments and then turned to Elena.

"Promise me something," she said.

"If I can," Elena said cautiously.

"I know you think it's stupid," Miranda began. "How hung up I am on tradition. And as much as I'd have loved to plan a real wedding for Jeremy and Anna, there's just something different about your daughter's wedding. I want to be able to share with you all the things my mama shared with me when I got married to your father."

"You and Dad are like something out of another world," Elena said. "Setting the bar a bit high, aren't you?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Miranda said. "I've known since the first day you brought him over here that you and Damon would end up together. I'm just waiting for the two of you to catch up."

"Thanks for your patience?"

"Don't sass me," Miranda said. "I know you said the two of you wanted to take things slow and I understand. But life is so short and the two of you have wasted so much time already."

"Mom, seriously," Elena said. "What's the hurry?"

"You tell me," Miranda said. "You're the one who's pregnant."


	2. Chapter 2

"So now you have x-ray vision on top of everything else?" Elena asked.

Miranda rolled her eyes and pointed her wooden spoon in the direction of Elena's neck.

"That rash you're developing?" she said. "Your grandmother got the same one every time she was pregnant and I got it with you and Jeremy both."

"I only found out a few days ago," Elena said. "I'm not ready to talk about it yet."

"That seems to be a theme with you," Miranda said. "Does Damon know?"

"Does Damon know what?" Damon asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Nothing," Elena said.

"How to make good sweet potatoes is not 'nothing'," Miranda said feigning indignation. She turned to Damon. "You see what I have to deal with? I don't even know why she bothers coming over early to 'help'".

"I can cook," Elena protested.

"You can make pasta and pancakes," Damon corrected with a smirk. "And you dial a mean take out."

Elena threw a cloth napkin at him. "You're not supposed to take her side," she said.

"Hey," Damon said, holding his hands up. "I know where my bread is buttered, okay. You might have missed it but there's a honey pecan pie on the cooling rack over there and if you think I'm missing out on that to cater to your sensibilities..."

"You're so easy," Elena said shaking her head. "You should make him work for it, Mom."

"Unlike you, I don't believe in playing hard to get," Miranda said. "Damon, help yourself. I've got two more in the oven."

"Score," Damon said, grabbing a plate and pie knife.

"I give up," Elena said. "I'm going to go catch up with Dad."

She exited the kitchen and Damon watched her go as he walked over to the kitchen island and sat down on one of the stools. Miranda switched off the stuffing and turned to him.

"Do you want some coffee with that?" she asked.

"No thanks," Damon said.

He paused and put his fork down before he took a bite of the dessert in front of him.

"You should ease up on Elena," he said carefully.

"What do you mean?" Miranda asked.

"She's not the one playing hard to get," Damon said.

Miranda sighed.

"You're a good man, Damon," she said. "I love that you're trying to protect her, even if it's from me. But I know my daughter. She makes up her mind about what she does and doesn't want and getting her to change her mind takes an act of Congress. For whatever reason, she decided that she's not interested in being in a committed relationship."

"That's not exactly true," Damon said. "She's just not interested in _rushing_ into a committed relationship. Neither am I."

"Is it for real?" Miranda asked. "What's happening with you two now?"

"What do you mean?' Damon asked.

"Part of me thinks Elena told me that something was going on because she didn't want to come out and tell me that it was just sex," Miranda said.

Damon choked. As many years as he'd known Miranda Gilbert, he still wasn't completely used to her brand of plain speaking.

"It's not just sex," Damon said.

Which was true. It had been sex with the intention of making a baby. Now that they'd accomplished that Damon assumed that they'd go back to being friends without the benefits. He was pretty sure Elena assumed the same even though they hadn't talked about it.

"But it's not serious yet either," Damon continued. "I love Elena and I know she loves me but we're not _in love_. That doesn't mean it won't happen - I don't think either of us is closed off to it - but we're not there yet. And the truth is, maybe we won't ever be there. There's no way of knowing."

Miranda opened her mouth to protest but Damon cut her off.

"I know that's not what you want to hear," he said gently. "But it's how things stand and the best thing for Elena and me is if you give us the room to figure it out for ourselves in due time."

"So in other words, butt out?" Miranda said.

"You said it, not me," Damon said, with a small smile.

"I'll do my best," Miranda said.

"That's all I ask," Damon said, picking up his fork.

Miranda snatched the plate out from in front of him before he could dig in.

"If you're not planning to put a ring on her finger," she said archly. "You can work for your pie. Get cracking on those sweet potatoes."

* * *

"You survived the inquisition," Elena remarked when Damon joined her in the living room. Jeremy and Grayson had gone outside to gather some logs for the fire.

"No thanks to you," Damon teased.

"Hey, I make no bones about it," Elena said, putting down her book. "When it comes to my mother, I believe in self preservation above all else."

Damon settled himself next to her on the couch and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"I think I got through to her," he said. "So she should back off a little."

"I doubt that," Elena said. ""She knows. She just doesn't think _you_ know."

"How did she..." Damon started.

"Something about a hereditary preganant rash," Elena said.

"What?" Damon asked.

"Never mind," Elena said. "The important thing is we dodged the bullet. We can tell her the truth in a few more weeks."

"Your mom, your call," Damon said.

"Does that mean you plan on breaking the news to _your _mother?" Elena asked.

Damon winced.

"Is that really necessary?" he asked. "I was thinking i could just send her a card, you know, about nine or so months from now."

"I think you should tell her sooner rather than later," Elena said. "It's going to take at least nine months for her to come around. You know she hates me."

"Hate is a strong word," Damon said. "She's just frustrated with me and taking it out on you."

Damon's mother, Valentina had tried many times to set Damon up with women that she deemed "appropriate". The problem was that her idea of appropriate and Damon's were pretty much polar opposite. Valentina couldn't fathom that though, so she blamed Elena, insisting that Damon spent far too much time with her to be able to maintain a real relationship. Which was true but only because Damon wanted it to be. If he ever decided he wanted to get serious with someone, he'd find the time.

The thought made Elena frown and her stomach roiled.

"Seriously, Elena," Damon said. "She'll be fine. Once she focuses on the whole grandchild thing, she'll be ready to nominate you for sainthood."

"What happens if you meet someone?" Elena asked. "Or I do?"

Damon shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "We'd deal with it. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Elena asked.

"I know we assumed we'd go back to how it was before, after you got pregnant," Damon said, lowering his tone. "But what if we didn't?"

Elena blinked at him.

"I mean, we've both thought about what it would be like," Damon said. "This is as good a time as any to find out."

"That or it could be the worst time," Elena pointed out. "We're about to have a kid. Dating would make that more complicated. Wouldn't it?"

"Honestly?" Damon said. "I don't think it would with us. I don't think it would be that different from the last four months."

"It'd be different," Elena said. "Dating has rules and stuff."

"If you come at me with a clipboard and checklist, I'm out," Damon warned her.

Elena stuck her tongue out at him and pushed her hair back away from her face.

"Sex, a baby, I wasn't worried about those things affecting our friendship," Elena said. "But this is different. If we start dating, we might start feeling things, or maybe only one of us will and then it'll get all messy and who's to say whether or not we could come back from that?"

"I trust you and I trust us," Damon said simply. "I don't think there's anything we can't handle together."

Elena nibbled on her lip.

"I'll tell you what," Damon said. "Let's give it until the baby comes. If it's good, great. If it's not working, we go back to the way things were and Junior here never knows any better."

'We are not calling our kid Junior," Elena said.

"Senior is hardly appropriate," Damon said. "And don't think I don't know when you're avoiding."

"I'm not avoiding," Elena said. "I'm thinking. I need to think."

"Take your time," Damon said. "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

"Brute," Elena said, throwing a small pillow at his face.

Damon laughed.

"Movie?" he asked.

"Yes, please," Elena said. "And hot chocolate too."

"No, you're not spoiled at all," Damon said, getting off the couch.

"It's your fault if I am," Elena said. "You take good care of me."

"So long as you know," Damon said.

He popped Breakfast at Tiffany's into the DVD player and then went to the kitchen to start on the hot chocolate. Elena stared at the TV screen as the movie started but her mind wasn't on Audrey Hepburn. It was on what she'd just said to Damon. It was true that he took good care of her. He was there when she needed him. He called her sometimes just to find out how her day was going. He always seemed to know when she needed to be cheered up.

Those things probably wouldn't change if they started dating. But what about if they didn't? Damon said they'd handle it if either of them met other people but the more Elena thought about it, the more worried she got. She didn't think she _could_ handle it if Damon were to start seeing someone else.

"Well, shit," Elena said to the empty room.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Suitors, see if you can spot the tie in.**

* * *

"We can always call it off," Damon said, brushing Elena's hair away from her forehead.

"No way," Elena said. "I'll be alright. I just…"

She closed her eyes and leaned a little more heavily against the counter.

"Are you sure this is normal?" Damon asked.

"Morning sickness," Elena murmured.

"Elena, it's 6:30 at night," Damon said.

Elena didn't bother to answer. She was focusing on not throwing up. It had been like this for the last month. Her morning sickness was actually worse at night than it was during the day. Thank god it was the holiday season so people didn't think too much of it when she worked from home more days than usual.

"I'm calling my mother and telling her not to come," Damon said. "You don't need the stress on top of everything."

"Don't you dare," Elena said through gritted teeth. "I checked, double checked, and triple checked that everything was perfect. I called in a favor at Persephone's to get this meal delivered and I'll be damned if a little nausea is going to ruin it. This is pretty much my one shot at getting your mother to like me."

Damon sighed.

"Just make sure we keep your mother away from sharp objects," Damon said. "I had to pry an ice pick out of her hand the last time she and my Mom spent too much time together."

Elena's lips twitched in a smile and then she grimaced as another wave of queasiness washed over her. Damon moved behind her and tentatively put his hand on her waist.

"Is there anything I can do?" Damon asked.

"I have some ginger ale in the fridge," Elena said. "Pour me some?"

Damon opened the refrigerator and extracted a can of Canada Dry. Pouring it into a tall glass, he placed it next to Elena's clenched hands on the counter.

"Anything else?" Damon asked.

Elena gave a small shake of her head.

"Tell me about your trip," Elena said.

Damon had spent the last week just outside of Miami at an end of year holiday retreat organized by the name partners at his law firm.

"Usual bullshit politics," Damon said. "But I got the face time I needed with Bree. I'm pretty sure that I'm on course to make senior partner in the spring."

"That's great news," Elena said, opening her eyes to fix him with a smile. It was wobbly but genuine.

"Thanks," Damon said.

He lifted his hand to her cheek and Elena leaned into the touch, her eyes closing again. She leaned a little too much and swayed towards him. Damon caught her before she toppled over.

"Okay, executive decision," he said. "You are sitting down and staying put until they get here."

He guided her to her favorite overstuffed chair in the living room. When she was settled, he picked up the knit afghan that was on the couch and spread it over her. Elena mumbled her thanks and her eyes slid shut. Damon shook his head as he stared down at her. She was coming up on the eight-week mark of her pregnancy and it hadn't exactly been a walk in the park physically but she was handling it with her typical stubborn pride; refusing to admit that she wasn't feeling well but grateful when he ignored her denials.

He shuddered to think about how much she would try to over do things if he wasn't around to keep an eye on her. Being out of town last week had driven him crazy. Yeah, they'd talked multiple times a day on the phone and Skyped in the evenings but it wasn't the same. A few months ago, it probably wouldn't have bothered him as much but a lot had changed and he felt more...

The doorbell rang before Damon could find a word to encapsulate what he was feeling and he rushed to answer. It was Miranda and Grayson.

"I brought a raspberry sacher torte," Miranda said, handing it over to Damon and allowing Grayson to help her out of her coat. "It's Lena's favorite."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate it eventually," Damon said.

Miranda arched an eyebrow and Damon jerked his head towards the chair where Elena had fallen asleep.

"She hasn't been feeling so hot," Damon explained.

Miranda clucked her tongue and padded over to her daughter's side. She placed her hand on Elena's forehead. Elena didn't so much as stir.

"We could have re-scheduled," she said.

"That's what I told her," Damon said. "But you know Elena."

"I don't know where she gets it from," Gray said cheekily.

His wife sniffed at him.

"Is there anything I can to do help with dinner?" Miranda asked.

"Nah, everything's covered," Damon said. "Can I get y'all something to drink? I think she still has some of the apple cider I made the other day."

"That sounds lovely," Miranda said.

"Make it two," Grayson said.

Damon nodded and started towards the kitchen but the doorbell rang again.

"I better get that," Damon said, changing course.

Minutes later he was enveloped in a cloud of Chanel No.5 as his mother, followed by his father, walked in the door. He dutifully kissed his mother's cheek and shook hands with his father. He loved his parents and got along with them but the relationship wasn't as close as Elena's with her parents.

"Come on in," Damon said. "I was just getting drinks."

"Red wine for me, amore," Valentina said, patting Damon on the cheek.

"Mom, Dad, you remember Elena's parents?" Damon said. "Miranda and Grayson."

Damon bit back a laugh as he watched his mother and Elena's go through the motions of being polite and pleased to see each other.

"And where is Elena?" Valentina asked.

"Here I am," Elena said.

Damon spun around to see that Elena was coming out of the kitchen with the apple cider. She saw his surprise and mouthed, _Mom. _

Thank god for Miranda, Damon thought.

"I'll get the wine," he said.

"I'll have some of this cider," Giuseppe said. "Need to see if you're doing justice to my recipe."

"Would I risk your wrath by screwing it up?" Damon joked.

"You've risked my wrath for less," Giuseppe pointed out, grinning.

"Minor detail," Damon said.

Fifteen minutes later, everyone had their drinks and the small talk was more or less flowing.

"How are you feeling?" Damon asked, leaning down from his perch on the arm of her chair to whisper in Elena's ear.

"Better," Elena said, putting her hand on his thigh. "Thanks."

"Well, that explains a lot," Valentina suddenly announced.

"Huh?" Damon asked.

Valentina waved in his direction.

"I was wondering why we'd been invited over here instead of to your apartment," Valentina said. "This whole dinner is obviously to announce that you and Elena are together."

"That's not exactly what it was for," Damon said. "But since you mention it, yes. Elena and I decided to take our relationship to the next level."

"I see," Valentina said.

"Don't sound so thrilled," Damon said, linking his finger through Elena's.

"Don't be dramatic, amore," Valentina said. "You know I'm happy if you're happy. And you do look happy."

Damon blinked, taken aback both by his mother's attitude and the fact that she'd actually hit the nail on the head. He _was_ happy, in way that he hadn't been before.

"But if that's not why you invited us over, then what is?" Giuseppe asked.

Damon exchanged a look with Elena.

"Just don't say you've eloped," Grayson joked. "Miranda still hasn't recovered from Jeremy's marital antics."

"We haven't eloped," Elena said. "We're...pregnant. Well, I'm pregnant and Damon is..."

"Ecstatic," Damon interrupted so that Elena would stop rambling. She could get remarkably loquacious when she was really nervous.

"Pregnant?" Valentina repeated, obviously dumbfounded. " Just how long have you two been together?"

"It depends on how you look at it," Damon allowed. "Six months if we're rounding up."

"So the pregnancy was an acccident?" Valentina asked.

"Vale!" Giuseppe barked in reproach.

He stood up and offered Damon his hand.

"Congratulations, son," he said.

"Thanks, Dad," Damon said.

"You knew about this didn't you?" Gray whispered to his wife.

"Sort of," she said serenely.

She turned and beamed at Elena and Damon.

"This is great news," she said. "And it doesn't matter if it wasn't planned..."

"It was," Elena blurted. "The baby came before the dating."

Four pairs of confused eyes turned towards her.

"You couldn't ease them into it?" Damon asked.

"Sorry," Elena said.

"I think you're going to have to explain," Valentina said.

So Elena told them the truth about how she'd decided she wanted to have a child and enlisted Damon to help her. She left out the part where they'd negotiated artificial insemination out of the original proposal. Some details, parents just didn't need to know. By the time she'd gotten to their conversation about changing their relationship status, both sets of parents looked dazed.

"Do me one favor," Miranda said.

"What?" Elena asked.

"Never, ever, tell that story to your child," Miranda said.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - I am randomly going to answer some comments/questions left in reviews lately. Some of these might actually be from FSA so hopefully the people who read that are reading this too. In no particular order:**

**1. No, I am not looking forward to 4x07, mostly because I stopped watching TVD after 3x01 lmao.**

**2. No, I am not Italian although I do speak the language. Also, I love Italian food, Italian men and Italian football.**

**3. It's been more than my pleasure to write these two stories for Daisy and Michelle. They are two awesome ladies. I know M is working hard on her original fiction these days and I'm just counting down the time till rest of the world figures out what most of us here already know, which is that she is a fantastic storyteller.**

**4. If you sent me a message on LJ and I didn't respond, odds are I never read the message. I am very rarely on LJ anymore and when I am, I don't normally have the time to go through messages in my inbox and respond. So it's nothing personal. **

**I think that pretty much covers it all. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Rebekah, I need those Tomlinson briefs," Damon said into the intercom on his desk.

His secretary didn't answer him but moments later she walked into his office with several folders.

"The Tomlinson briefs," she said. "And the discovery files that the D.A.'s office just couriered over for the Harrington case."

"How forthcoming of them," Damon said wryly.

"Andie Starr is the A.D.A. on it," Rebekah noted. "She's trying to get your attention. As usual."

Damon made no comment.

"And this was just hand delivered," Rebekah said, handing over a small package. "Doesn't say who it was from but apparently for your eyes only. Better hope it's not anthrax."

Damon rolled his eyes.

"Thank you," he said pointedly.

Rebekah shrugged and turned on her heel. She closed to the door behind her on her way out. Looking down at the package in his hand, Damon felt his curiosity spike. He recognized Elena's handwriting but he couldn't imagine what she would be sending him at work. They rarely gave each other gifts outside of birthdays or other special occasions.

It wasn't their anniversary and Valentine's Day wasn't until next week. Damon slid his finger under the flap and was about to open it when his cell phone vibrated in front of him. It was Elena sending him a text message.

_How's your day going? Anything interesting happen?_

Damon barked out a laugh.

_You have the worst poker face even when I can't see you._

He could practically hear her huff in response. He set his phone down while he waited for her to respond and opened the box in front of him. And then he practically swallowed his tongue.

Nestled on a white satin pillow was a pair of skimpy lavender and black lace panties. Immediately, Damon was overwhelmed with memories from the night before when he'd peeled this exact pair of underwear off of Elena before spreading her out on the kitchen table and using his mouth to make her unravel.

Four times.

And if that recollection wasn't enough to have him shifting uncomfortably in his chair, his pants shrinking by the second, then the second item tucked into the box would have done it.

It was a pair of black, padded handcuffs.

Damon stared at them, so lost in the endless possibilities racing through his mind that it took him a minute to realize that his phone was ringing. If it had been anyone other than Elena, he wouldn't have trusted himself to speak.

"Minx," he greeted her.

There was a brief pause before she spoke.

"You liked your present?" she asked tentatively.

"I love it," Damon assured her. "I have plans for it actually."

"I can't wait to hear about them," Elena said.

Her voice was soft and Damon sensed more than a hint of relief.

"Were you seriously worried that I'd object to my girlfriend sending me sex presents?" Damon asked.

"When you put it like that it sounds silly," Elena said.

"If something is worrying you about us, it's not silly," Damon said.

"I'm not worried," Elena said. "Everything's good. Really good."

"But?" Damon prodded.

"I know you said at Thanksgiving that you didn't think dating would change us," Elena said. "And mostly it hasn't and that's the thing. I kind of feel like it should. Or at least a little more than it has. We're not just friends who have sex sometimes. We're…"

"Lovers," Damon finished for her.

"Yes," Elena said. "Am I sounding crazy? It could be the hormones."

"It's not crazy at all," Damon said. "I'm glad you decided to push the boundaries a bit. Tell you what, let's go away this weekend."

"Where?" Elena asked.

"We could go to that inn you like in Charlottesville," Damon suggested.

"I would love that," Elena said. "But pregnant me in wine country is asking for trouble."

"Good point," Damon said. "Let me give it some more thought and get back to you."

"Okay," Elena said. "You coming over tonight?"

"Only if you don't mind me bring a shit ton of work with me," Damon said wryly.

"I don't mind," Elena said. "I've got a presentation to finish for tomorrow's meeting with the CW people."

"Should I pick up dinner?" Damon asked.

"Don't bother," Elena said. "I have to stop by my parent's place to give Mom her laptop back. I expect I'll be leaving with enough food to feed a small army from now until spring."

Damon laughed and Elena let the sound wash over her. She'd never thought about how much she liked Damon's laugh. It made her feel flush and warm inside. It was just one more thing to add to the list of things that was the same as it always been but _felt_ different.

"I gotta run," Damon said. "But I'll see you at home around 7:30, okay?"

"Okay," Elena agreed.

"Bye, babe," Damon said.

Elena hung up the phone and bit her lip to try to stifle the smile that was trying to take over her entire face. She must not have done a good enough job because her junior vice president, Caroline Forbes, froze in the doorway.

"You're glowing," she accused.

"I'm pregnant," Elena reminded her. "I think it comes with the job description."

Caroline shook her head.

"That glow is not from being pregnant," she said. "It's from the guy who _got_ you pregnant."

* * *

"So what do you think?" Damon asked.

"It's perfect," Elena said, giving the room another once over before turning back to Damon, who was setting their bags down on the floor. He'd chosen a small bed & breakfast in Barnard, Vermont for their weekend getaway. It was rustic, warm and cozy. The couple that ran it were in their late 50s and had welcomed Elena and Damon with hot chocolate and scones before showing them upstairs to their room.

A king sized canopy bed sat in the center of the room and there was a fireplace on the far side. Crossing to the room to Damon's side, Elena slipped her arms around him and kissed the underside of his chin.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," Damon murmured, his voice muffled by her hair. He tightened his own arms around her, savoring the way she felt pressed against him. She was all warmth and curves; she was a little over four months pregnant but just starting to show. It was more than that though. Damon couldn't count the number of times that he'd held Elena in his arms without feeling the way he'd been feeling the last couple of months.

"What are you thinking?" Elena mumbled against his chest.

"That I can't imagine being with anyone else," Damon said. "Living this with anyone else."

Elena leaned her head back and grinned at him.

"See," she said lightly. "Now you're glad I asked for your sperm."

Damon choked out a laugh and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Wanna go out and explore or stay in?" he asked.

Elena glanced out the window, then back at the fire that was roaring in the fireplace.

"Great minds," Damon said.

"I'm going to go change first though," Elena said.

She reached for the smaller of her bags and disappeared into the bathroom. Damon took advantage to grab a couple of extra blankets from a wardrobe behind the door and pile some pillows on the floor in front of the fire. He was settled with his back against a chair and his legs stretched out in front of him when Elena re-emerged.

"You are ridiculously beautiful," Damon said as she practically floated towards him in a cloud of pale ivory silk and chiffon. For a fleeting moment he wondered if this was what a wedding night or honeymoon might feel like.

And then he wasn't wondering anything because Elena was lowering herself into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. Her nose rubbed against his before she started to nibble on his lips. Damon followed her lead and it wasn't long until they were a tangle of lips, limbs and tongues in front of the fireplace. Damon trailed his fingertips over the smooth skin of her shoulder with his lips following close behind.

Elena's hips moved restlessly, rocking against his erection, teasing them both with the promise of more intense pleasure. Damon placed his hands on her waist to still her and then slid them up her sides and around to cup her breasts. There was no doubt that they were fuller than they had been a few weeks ago. More sensitive too, if the speed at which her nipples pebbled against his palm was any indication.

Elena let out a sharp moan as Damon's mouth closed around one tender peak and started to suck. Her fingers clutched at his shoulders and her head fell back. Impatient with the fabric that was keeping him away from Elena's bare skin, Damon tugged until the garment came loose and fell away from her body.

Groaning in satisfaction, he switched to the other breast and Elena threaded her fingers into his hair to pull him closer still. Slipping his hand over the curve of her stomach, Damon sought out the liquid heat between Elena's legs. She gasped when his thumb made contact with her swollen clitoris and it took only minutes for Damon to send her over the edge.

Sitting up, Damon watched, in thrall, as Elena gave herself over completely to the sensations ripping through her body. It was magnificent to watch and that was when Damon realized that nothing would ever be the same.

Elena blinked at him, dazed from her climax and the words tumbled out of his mouth.

"I'm in love with you," Damon said.

There was a flash of something bright and joyful in Elena's eyes so he knew before she even said the words that she felt it the same as he did.

"I love you too," Elena said.

Exchanging the words seem to light an urgent fire in both of them because the next thing Damon knew, Elena was grabbing at his clothes, pulling and pushing and tearing in her efforts to get him naked. Damon resolved the problem by standing up with Elena in his arms and carrying her over to the bed. He set her down then shed his clothes before he climbed in after her.

Elena scrambled back into her perch on his lap, her hand grasping his shaft and guiding him inside her. Her eyes slid shut as she impaled herself on him and Damon hissed out a breath at how tightly she sheathed him.

When he was buried to the hilt, Elena stilled on top of him and they both took a moment to commit all the sensations and emotions to memory. Then, slowly, Elena started to move and all Damon could think was that this feeling and this woman, was all he wanted for the rest of his life.


End file.
